Seal for refrigerant tubing through air conditioner partition

ABSTRACT

An air conditioning unit including a basepan upon which is mounted an indoor section in communication with the space to be conditioned. The indoor section includes an indoor heat exchanger and means for circulating air to be conditioned in heat exchange relation with the indoor heat exchanger. Also mounted on the basepan is an outdoor section in communication with ambient air and including an outdoor heat exchanger and a compressor. A partition forms a part of the basepan and divides the air conditioning unit to separate the indoor section from the outdoor section. The partition is provided with a partition opening therethrough. Refrigerant carrying lines extend between the indoor section and the outdoor section through the partition opening. An elongated section of insulating material circumferentially encloses the refrigerant tubes in the region in which they pass through the partition opening. The insulating material is taped to the refrigerant tubes at the end thereof which is on the side of the partition opening adjacent to the outdoor section thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to air conditioning units having anevaporator section and a condenser section within one unit. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and methodfor achieving a positive seal around refrigerant carrying tubes passingthrough an opening in a partition dividing an air conditioning unit intoan indoor section and outdoor section.

Air conditioning units such as the so called self-contained airconditioning units commonly used for residential and similarapplications generally include closed refrigeration circuits having anevaporator and a condenser. The unit is normally divided by a partitioninto an evaporator section and a condenser section, the evaporatorsection communicating with the room air to be conditioned and thecondenser section communicating with external air such as outdoor air.Refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit absorbing heat from theroom air at the evaporator and discharging heat energy to the externalair at the condenser. The conventional refrigeration circuit iscompleted by the addition of a compressor, an expansion device and theappropriate connections between the components.

In the evaporator section air is drawn through the evaporator by theevaporator fan and subsequently discharged into the room. In theevaporator the refrigerant changes from a liquid state to gaseous stateabsorbing heat energy from the room air being circulated thereover. Thegaseous refrigerant from the evaporator is returned to the compressorwherein its pressure and temperature are increased. The evaporator islocated in the indoor section and the compressor is located in theoutdoor section. From the compressor hot gaseous refrigerant flowsthrough the condenser wherein it is cooled to change state from a gas toa liquid. Heat energy is discharged to ambient air being circulated overthe condenser by the condenser fan. This liquid refrigerant is thenconducted through the partition dividing the unit into the indoor andthe outdoor sections back to the indoor coil or evaporator to completethe refrigeration circuit.

In a conventional room air conditioning unit the condenser andcompressor being the heat discharging components are located in thatportion of the unit, the outdoor section, wherein heat energy isdischarged to the ambient air. The evaporator and evaporator fan arelocated in the indoor section of the unit for absorbing heat energy fromthe air to be cooled. In a conventional room air conditioning unit it isnecessary to have two refrigerant line connections between the indoorsection and the outdoor section. An interconnecting line between thecondenser and the evaporator and the suction line from the evaporator tothe compressor are both required to pass through the partition.

In order to reduce energy costs and improve the efficiency of the unit,improving the overall performance of an air conditioning unit hasachieved high priority. One method of improving performance is to reducethe internal energy losses in an air conditioning unit includingreducing the transfer of heat energy between the outdoor section and theindoor section of a unit. One of the ways in which this heat transfermay occur is by air leakage through the partition at the location wherethe refrigerant lines extend through the partition. The requirement toreduce such transfer of energy becomes even more important in an airconditioner design wherein the outdoor condensing section of the unit byvirtue of its design is pressurized and therefore may further encouragethe loss of energy between the outdoor and indoor section.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,568 entitled Method And Apparatus For Securing TubesIn An Air Conditioning Unit is assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention and is directed to providing a partition opening through whichthe refrigerant lines may pass. It provides a tube seal formed from anexpanded cellular foam having slots to mount the tube seal to thepartition at the opening. The tube seal additionally has a center slitfor receiving the refrigerant carrying tubes and securing them therebetween.

It an object of the present invention to provide a tube seal which maybe applied directly to the tubes prior to assembly to the unit andinserted through a molded opening to affect an effective seal in thepartition separating inside and outside section of a room airconditioner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an inexpensive sealwhich prevents migration of air between the inside and outside sectionand also insulates the refrigerant tubing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An air conditioning unit is provided including a basepan upon which ismounted an indoor section and communication with the space to beconditioned. The indoor section includes an indoor heat exchanger andmeans for circulating air to be conditioned in heat exchange relationwith the indoor heat exchanger. Also mounted on the basepan is anoutdoor section and communication with ambient air and including anoutdoor heat exchanger and a compressor. A partition is forms a part ofthe basepan and divides the air conditioning unit to separate the indoorsection from the outdoor section. The partition is provided with apartition opening therethrough. The refrigerant carrying lines extendingbetween the indoor section and the outdoor section through the partitionopening. An elongated section of insulating material circumventallyencloses the refrigerant tubes in the region in which they pass throughthe partition opening. The insulating material is taped to therefrigerant tubes at the end thereof which is on the side of thepartition opening adjacent to the outdoor section thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention may be better understood and its numerous objects andadvantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable room air conditioner whichembodies the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified front view of the air conditioner of FIG. 1showing the relative positions of the indoor coil, the filter and thethermostat capillary mounting;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the evaporator, filter and thermostatcapillary shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of the end of the capillaryengaging the discharge deck;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the portable window airconditioner unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top elevational view of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 withthe top cover, outdoor inlet grill, front grill and discharge deckremoved;

FIG. 6 is a top elevational view of the air conditioner of FIG. 1,similar to FIG. 5, with the indoor covers installed and a number of theoutdoor components removed;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the condensate drain pan which shows ina simplified manner its cooperation with the condensate opening in thepartition wall of the air conditioner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the prior art relationship between acondensate base pan, the drain pan and the condensate opening;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 8, showing the condensateoutlet of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the control box enclosure;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the control box with a portion of the uppercover broken away;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the control box with only the lower coverinstalled, prior to routing the power cord through the strain relief;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 showing the power cord installed inthe strain relief;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the lower cover of the control box;

FIG. 15 is a view taken along the line 15--15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary showing of the lower right hand corner of FIG.13 with the power cord cut away where it exits from the strain relief;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the control box with both covers removedshowing the internal components mounted therein;

FIG. 18 is a simplified left hand end view of the base pan and verticalpartition of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 illustrating the indoor fanscroll being moved into its assembled position therewith;

FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 18 showing the control box being movedinto its assembled position;

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 18 showing the control box and indoorcoil in their assembled condition;

FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. 18 showing the bearing bracketengaging the indoor coil;

FIG. 22 is a view similar to FIG. 18 showing the bearing bracket movinginto engagement with the scroll;

FIG. 23 shows the bearing bracket and coil in their final positions,and, the discharge deck being assembled thereto;

FIG. 24 through 26 illustrate the assembly of the indoor grill to theassembled front end;

FIGS. 27 and 28 are perspective views showing in detail, respectively,the right and left hand ends of the air conditioner following assemblyof the control box and the bearing support structure respectively;

FIG. 29 shows a sectional right hand end view of the air conditioner ofFIG. 1 with the control box discharge deck and indoor coil installed;

FIG. 30 is a fragmentary view of the upper right hand corner of FIG. 29with a portion of the discharge deck broken away to show engagement ofthe control box with the center partition;

FIG. 31 is a view similar to FIG. 29 showing the left hand end of theair conditioner with the front end fully assembled;

FIG. 32 is a front view of the indoor coil of the air conditioner ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 33 is an enlarged view showing the tube seal assembled to the inletand outlet tubes of the coil of FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a sectional view taken along the line 34--34 of FIG. 33;

FIGS. 35 through 37 illustrate in a simplified manner the method ofassembling the indoor coil with the tube seal assembled thereto throughthe opening in the partition, and, engagement of the seal with theopening when the coil is positioned in the base pan;

FIG. 38 is a partial plan view of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 with thecovers removed and showing the indoor coil in its intermediate assemblyposition and its engagement with the positioning components of the airconditioning unit;

FIG. 39 is a perspective showing of the polymer stud, molded into thebase pan of the air conditioner of FIG. 1, for use in mounting thecompressor;

FIG. 40 is a sectional view through the stud as shown in FIG. 39illustrating the details of the support of the compressor mounting platethereby;

FIG. 41 is a simplified view of the outside fan, evaporator base pan andslinger arrangement of the air conditioner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 42 is a top view of the slinger of FIG. 41 as viewed along the line42--42 thereof;

FIG. 43 is a sectional view of the slinger of FIG. 42 taken along theline 43--43 thereof;

FIG. 43A is a enlarged view of the slinger opening shown in FIG. 43;

FIG. 44 is a simplified diagrammatic showing of the grounding system ofthe air conditioner illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 45 is a top view of the air deflector assembly removed from thedischarge deck;

FIG. 46 is a sectional view of the deflector assembly of FIG. 45 showingits relative position as mounted in the discharge deck assembly;

FIG. 47 is a partial plan view of the deflector assembly of FIG. 45illustrating the engagement of several deflectors with a gang bar;

FIGS. 48 and 49 illustrate the engagement and relative movement of asingle deflector and its gang bar relative to the discharge louverhousing;

FIG. 50 illustrates a plan view of a single deflector with a handle asengaged with the gang bar; and

FIGS. 51 and 52 illustrate the engagement of a deflector, without andwith a handle, with the discharge louver.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference initially to FIG. 1, a portable window-type airconditioner unit 10 is formed of an indoor section 12 and an outdoorsection 14. The unit is adapted to be positioned on a windowsill in aroom where cooling is desired, with the indoor section facing into theroom. The window sash is closed onto the top of the unit 10, and leftand right side curtains 16, 18 open outward to close the remainingwindow space. The inside section 12 comprises an insiderefrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 20 and an inside fan 22. Air from thespace to be conditioned by the system enters the inside section 12through air inlet louvers formed in an inside grill 24, and passedthrough the heat exchanger 20 where the air is either heated or cooled,and the inside fan 22 before exiting from the inside section 12 throughan inside air discharge assembly, generally 26.

The outside section 14, of the unit is outside of the space whose air isto be conditioned. This section contains, as best seen with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5 an outside refrigerant-to-air heat exchanger 28, anoutside fan 30, an outside fan motor 31, and a compressor 32. Inoperation, outside air enters the outside section 14 through a circularlouvered air inlet 34 positioned above the outside fan in an otherwisesolid outside top cover 36. The air entering the outside section thenpasses through the outside fan 30 into the interior of the outsidesection from where it is forced through the outside heat exchanger 28before exiting from the outside section 14 through discharge louvers 38.The louvers 38 are formed in a U-shaped rear enclosure 40. The louvers38 are configured so as to direct the warm air exiting from the outsidesection downwardly and away from the air intake 34 so that exiting airwill not be "short cycled" through the air inlet 34 directly back intothe outside section.

Best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6 the entire air conditioning unit 10 issupported by a single piece base pan 42. The basepan includes avertically extending partition 44 which separates the indoor 12 andoutdoor 14 sections.

The base pan/partition assembly 42, 44 is precision molded from apolymer material, preferably a foamed glass-filled polycarbonate. Aswill be appreciated the basepan 42 contains a number of contoured areasand other sections which are designed to cooperate with other componentsof the air conditioner 10 in order to facilitate assembly of the unitwith precision alignment of all components, while at the same timerequiring a minimum number of fastening devices such as screws or thelike.

Referring now to FIG. 4 a previously unmentioned extremely importantcomponent of the air conditioner unit 10 is the control box assembly 46,which will be described in considerable more detail below. The controlbox is also molded from a polymer material and comprises three pieces,the box itself 48 and upper and lower covers 50 and 52 respectively, asseen in FIG. 10. The control box is designed to house three capacitors,the unit on-off/function switch, the thermostat, the service cord andthe indoor fan motor. A further extremely important function of thecontrol box 46 is that, once it is assembled into the unit, it serves toposition and align other components of the air conditioning unit as wellas to actually position and support the outside grill, as will be seen.

The indoor fan 22 as best seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 38 is of the type knownas a transverse fan. An impeller for a transverse fan of the type whichmay be used in connection with this unit is shown and described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,266,007, Impeller For Transverse Fan, assigned to theassignee of the present invention. Generally, the inlet plenum of thetransverse fan is defined by the previously described air inletdescribed in connection with the inside grill 24. The flow path in andaround the fan is defined generally by a scroll element 54 as best seenin FIGS. 4 and 18.

The scroll 54 is an elongated molded plastic piece having a lower wall57 adapted to engage the basepan 42 and a rear wall 59 adapted to engagethe partition 44. An elongated curvilinear surface 61 extending betweena front edge 63 and a rear, upper edge 65 defines impart the inlet airflow path. The upper edge 65 of the scroll 54 cooperates with adownwardly extending portion 56 of the inside air discharge assembly 26as best illustrated in FIG. 46. The general principles of operation of atransverse fan are well known and will not be elaborated upon in anymore detail herein.

INDOOR SECTION ASSEMBLY

The assembly of all of the indoor components of the air conditioner unit10 contained in the indoor section 12 will now be described in detail.First, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, the condensate pan 56 is firstplaced in position in the base pan 42. The condensate pan is made from arigid foam material and comprises an inverted L-shaped section havingthe longer leg thereof 58 adapted to receive the lower portion of theindoor heat exchanger 20. The shorter leg 60 of the condensate pan isadapted to receive condensate draining from the coil and to direct itthrough a channel 62 formed therein to the units condensate collectionsystem which will be subsequently described in detail. The condensatepan 56 is positioned in the base pan by an upstanding rib 64 formed inthe base pan which contacts an extended portion 66 on the right hand endof the leg 60 of the condensate pan, and by the front flange 68 of thebase pan itself.

The indoor fan scroll 54 is then installed. With reference to FIG. 18 itwill be seen that the front edge 63 of the scroll is provided with agroove 70 which is adapted to engage a mating surface 72 provided on theback of the long leg 58 of the condensate pan 56. The scroll 54 is thusassembled to the unit as oriented in FIG. 18 with the groove 70 and themating surface 72 first engaging one another and then rotating thescroll rearwardly until the upper longitudinal edge 65 engages a portionof the inwardly facing wall 76 of the partition 44. The scroll ispositioned left to right by a gusset 74 formed in the partition wall 44,a portion of this gusset is broken away in FIG. 18 and it is fully shownin FIG. 4. The right hand end 77 of the scroll is positioned by contactwith the short leg 60 of the condensate pan. Accordingly as thusassembled the scroll 54 is self located.

The next step is to install the indoor evaporator coil assembly 20.Looking at FIG. 32 the evaporator coil comprises a continuous section oftubing having a inlet and outlet end 78 and 80 respectivelyinterconnected by a series of serpentine sections supported at the leftand right hand ends respectively by left and right hand tube sheets 82and 84. The tubes are interconnected by a multiplicity of parallel heatexchange enhancing fins 86. The coil inlet and outlet tubes 78 and 80are adapted to extend from the front end of the basepan 42 of the airconditioning unit 10 through an opening 88 in the partition 44 to theoutdoor section 14 where they are eventually interconnected with therest of the closed refrigeration system.

With reference now to FIGS. 33 through 37, in order to prevent airleakage and water leakage from the outdoor section 14 into the indoorsection 12 it is desirable to seal the opening 88 surrounding the tworefrigerant tubes passing therethrough. In order to achieve this in aninexpensive, expeditious and highly efficient manner a section of foamrubber hose forming an insulating tube 90 is slid over the open ends ofboth tubes and positioned to extend on the longitudinal stretch of tubethat extends from the inside section through the opening 88 and into theoutdoor section. The insulating tube 90 is then taped 91 to therefrigerant tubes 78 and 80 to prevent the tube from sliding on thetubing as the coil assembly is installed and the tubes are passedthrough the opening 88. The taping 91 at the end of the tubes thatpasses through the opening creates a tapered transition thus assuringsmooth installation of the insulating section 90 enters the hole 88during assembly.

The hole 88 is slightly smaller than the insulating tube 90 so that thetube is compressed slightly during installation. This provides aninexpensive, yet effective air and water tight seal.

Following installation of the coil as described above the evaporatorcoil 20 is bent forward by about 15 degrees from the vertical, asillustrated in FIGS. 20, 21 and 38. This bending of the coil istemporary and facilitates installation of the control box assembly 46 aswill now be described in connection with FIGS. 19 and 20. It should benoted that the indoor coil is not shown in FIG. 19 in order tofacilitate the description of the installation of the control boxassembly 46.

As previously indicated the control box assembly 46 includes the indoorfan motor 92. The indoor fan motor 92 has a support bushing 94 on bothends thereof. With reference to FIG. 10 it will be seen that one bushing94 is adapted to be operatively received in an opening 95 in the lowercontrol box cover 52. With reference to FIG. 19 it will be seen that theother motor bushing extends through an opening 97 in the left handfacing wall 96 of the box 48. While the details of the control boxstructure and the assembly thereof and other novel features associatedtherewith will be described in detail hereinbelow, for purposes of thepresent description, the side of the control box defined by the upperand lower covers 50 and 52 respectively will generally be referred to asthe right hand side of the control box.

The power cord strain relief generally, 98 extending from the right handside of the control box will be referred to in connection withinstallation of the control box assembly. The bottom of the control boxwill generally be referred to as 100 while the top of the control boxwill be referred to as 102. As best seen in FIGS. 27 and 28 the front ofthe control box is stepped having a proximal facing front surface 104and a distal front facing surface 106. Located in the distal frontfacing surface 106 of the control box is a vertically extending slot108.

Installation of the control box is carried out by engaging the slot 108with the rear flange 110 of the right hand tube sheet 84. As thusengaged the control box relationship to the unit appears as illustratedin FIG. 19. As the control box is moved downwardly the cord strainrelief 98 moves into engagement with an arcuate slot 112, which, as bestseen in FIGS. 4 and 27, is provided in the right hand base pan gusset113. The control box 46 is thus guided by the engagement of the slot 108and the tube sheet, and, the strain relief 98 and the arcuate slot 112.

When the control box has moved downward and rearward as far as it can aprotrusion 114 on the top of the control box snaps under an L-shaped rib116 which is formed on the upper most end of the partition wall 44 asshown in FIGS. 20, 27 and 30. It is important to note that the L-shapedrib 116 extends substantially the full width of the upper partitionwall. The control box assembly 46 thus has also been assembled to theair conditioning unit in a precision self locating manner.

Referring now to FIG. 20, as thus installed the axis 117 of the indoorfan motor 92 is an alignment with a semi-circular bearing support 118formed in the left hand end 120 of the scroll 54. At this point theindoor fan impeller 22 is drivingly attached to the indoor fan drivemotor 92, and, a rubber support bearing 120 is placed on the left handend of the indoor fan impeller. The support bearing 120 is thenoperatively placed into the bearing support 118 formed in the scroll asshown in FIGS. 4 and 38.

The left hand bearing bracket 122 as best seen in FIG. 4, 21 and 28 isprovided with a vertically extending channel 124, and, a diagonallyextending surface 126 which has a semi-circular bearing supportstructure 128 formed therein. The diagonal surface 126 is adapted tomatingly engage a corresponding surface 130 formed on the left hand endof the scroll 54. Extending from the diagonal surface 126 on the bearingbracket are a pair of tabs 132 which are adapted to operatively engage amating pair of slots 134 provided in the diagonal surface 130 of thescroll.

The bearing bracket 122 is assembled by engaging the channel 124 againstthe left side of the left tube sheet 82 and sliding it downward untilthe lower tab 132 on the bracket enters the lower slot 134 in thescroll. The bracket 122 is then rotated rearwardly until the upper tab132 on the bracket enters the upper slot 134 on the scroll, and, arearwardly extending protrusion 136 on the upper surface of the bracket122 snaps under the rib 116 formed at the upper end of the partition 44.The bracket 122 is then locked in place in a precision self locatingmanner. It should be appreciated, with reference to FIG. 21 and 28, thatas the bracket 122 is rotated rearwardly into its assembled position theindoor coil 20 by virtue of engagement of the bracket with the left handtube sheet is moved back into its proper vertically oriented position.

Referring now to FIGS. 27 and 28 it will be noted that the top of thecontrol box 102 and the top 138 of the bearing bracket 122 are eachprovided with an upstanding cone shaped locator pin 140. These locatorpins 140, as will be seen in the description hereinbelow, are theprimary mounting structure for the inside grille 24.

Continuing now with the indoor section assembly, the indoor airdischarge assembly 26 includes a discharge deck 142 which includes anelongated substantially rectangular opening 144 in the top thereof inwhich is mounted an air deflector assembly 146. The air deflectorassembly 146 is shown in detail in FIGS. 45 through 52 and will bedescribed in detail hereinbelow.

The discharge deck 142 includes two spaced apart openings 148 in theright hand top surface thereof which are adapted to allow control shafts150, 152 of the unit control switch 154 and thermostat 156,respectively, to pass there through.

Assembly and precise positioning of the discharge deck 142 isfacilitated by the upper edge 158 of the partition 44 and the previouslydescribed L-shaped rib 116 also formed at the upper end of the partition44, as shown in FIGS. 29, 30 and 31. With continued reference to thesefigures it will be seen that the deck 142 is provided with a downwardlyextending lip 160 on its rear, underside which extends substantially theentire width of the deck. Also, adjacent each end of the deck, andextending from the underside thereof, forward of the lip 160 are a pariof J-shaped ears 162.

With reference to FIG. 23 installation of the deck is achieved byangling the deck away from the horizontal position so as to engage thelip 160 with the upper edge 158 of the partition and substantiallyrotating the deck downwardly to the horizontal position so that the ears162 move under the L-shaped rib 116. Reference to FIGS. 27 and 28illustrate in detail the openings into which the J-shaped ears 162 arereceived on the right hand end and the left hand end of the unit,respectively.

With reference to FIG. 27 the recess 164 in which the right hand ear 162is received is defined by the L-shaped rib 116 and a portion cut away inthe corner of the control box 46 adjacent to the protruding section 114which extends under the L-shaped rib 116 of the partition to positionthe control box. Likewise FIG. 28 shows the recess 166 for receiving theleft hand ear 162 which is defined by the rib 116 and a cut out portion168 adjacent to the protrusion 136 on the bearing bracket 122 whichengages the rib 116.

With the lip 160 and the ears 162 so engaged, as the front of the deckis rotated downwardly a downwardly extending offset 170 formed in thefront underside of the deck is received in mating notches 172 formed inboth the left and right hand tube sheets 82, 84. This engagement of thedeck with the notches stops the rotation of the deck downwardly and thuslocates the deck and locks the evaporator coil 20 in its final assembledposition. FIGS. 29 and 30 illustrate this relationship in detail.

The discharge deck 142 is provided with a substantially triangularlyshaped mounting ear 174 extending downwardly from the underside thereofat both the right and left hand ends thereof. Each of the mounting ears174 is provided with a hole 176 therein. The hole 176 in the right handmounting ear is in alignment with an engagement hole 178 provided in theupper cover of control box housing 48. Similarly, the opening 182 in theleft hand mounting ear 174 is in alignment with an engagement hole 184formed in the upper end of the bearing bracket 122.

With reference to FIGS. 4, 29 and 31, one screw 180, is installed ineach end of the deck 142 through the respective openings 178 and 182 inthe ears 174 and into engagement with the holes 178 and 184 of thecontrol box cover and bearing bracket. With the screws 180 appropriatelyfastened, the entire indoor section is then locked together.Specifically, the discharge deck 142, the control box assembly 146, thebearing bracket 122, the scroll 54, the indoor coil 20 and the basepan42 are all interlocked, as described hereinabove and fastened with twothreaded fasteners such that cannot move in any direction.

Disassembly of the entire front end may be readily accomplished byremoving the two fastening screws 180, and easily disassembling each ofthe components.

FRONT INLET GRILLE MOUNTING

It will be noted with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, 24, 29 and 31 that withthe indoor section assembled as described above, the discharged deck 142covers substantially the entire upper part of the indoor section 12 ofthe unit. In order to make the unit aesthetically attractive, the insideor front grille 24 is designed to slide under the discharge deck and topof the filter (the filter will be described hereinbelow) which make upthe top of the unit, cover the sides and the front, wrap around thebottom edges and precisely line up with other adjoining parts of theunit.

Reference is made to the previous description, in connection with FIGS.27 and 28, of the conically shaped locator pins 140 located on the top138 of the bracket 122 and the top 102 of the control box. It will benoted, with reference to FIGS. 24, 29 and 31 that with the dischargedeck 142 installed, a space is defined between the underside of thedischarge deck 142 and the top 102 of the control box on the right handside (186) and the top of the bearing bracket 122 on the left hand side(188).

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 24 through 26 and 29 and 31, the indoor grille24 is a one piece, molded plastic member, which is adapted to cooperatewith the indoor section as illustrated in FIG. 1. The grille 24 has asubstantially elongated U-shape, which contains a rectangularly shapedlouvered intake section 190 forming the front thereof and a pair ofshorter solid sections forming left and right hand sides 192, 194respectively. The grille 24 includes a top flange 196 extending aboutthe entire upper periphery thereof. Extending from the top flange 196 onboth the left and right hand ends thereof are inwardly extendingextensions 198 each of which is provided with a locator hole 200 whichis adapted to cooperate with the locator pins 140 as will be explainedin more detail. A bottom flange 202 extends about the lower perimeter ofthe grille 26.

The grille 26 is installed by sliding the top flange 196 and the flangeextensions 198 into the spaces 186, 188 on the right and left hand sidesof the unit respectively. The grille is pushed rearwardly until theflange extensions 198 contact the locator pins 140. The flangeextensions 198 then are cammed upwardly due to the conical shape of thelocator pins 140 until the locator holes 200 engage the pins and locatethe upper part of the grille 26.

At this point the weight of the grille 26 tries to rotate the entiregrille downward thus pivoting it on the locator pins 140. When the rearedges 204 of the left and right hand portions 192, 194 of the grillecontact a structural rib 206 of the basepan the grille is installed tothe unit.

Removal of the grille 26 is accomplished by placing one hand on eachside of the grille and simply pulling it forward with sufficient forceto cause the flange extensions 198 to cam upwardly causing the locatorholes 200 to move out of engagement with the locator pins 140.

As a result, the grill installs easily, is removed easily, and becauseof the precision location of the locator pins 140, as describedhereinabove, the grille lines up precisely with all adjacent parts.

A further benefit is that the grille may be easily removed withouttools. This satisfies Underwriters Laboratory® requirement UL-494 andtherefore allows the information plate for the air conditioner to beinside the outer grille 26.

THERMOSTAT CAPILLARY INSTALLATION

With the indoor section 12 of the unit 10 assembled as described abovethe inside grille 24 and the front edge 208 of the discharge deck 142cooperate to define a narrow elongated slot 210 which is adapted toreceived a removable one piece air filter 212. The air filter 212 has atop portion 214 which has a handle section 216 which when the filter isinserted from the top of the unit downwardly into the slot 210 forms anaesthetically pleasing integral portion of the front of the unit. Thefilter 212 is shown in its installed position in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 and,as is conventional, in its installed position is in coextensive closelyadjacent relationship to the front of the evaporator coil 20 tointercept and collect any airborne particulate being drawn into thefront of the unit through the inside grille 24.

It is common practice in room air conditioner units to mount the unitsthermostat capillary 214 across the face of the indoor coil 20 so thatit may sense the room air as it flows into the unit and across thecapillary before entering the coil to be cooled. The capillary isgenerally located close to the coil surface (about 1/8 to 1/4 inchaway). As a result, if the coil begins to ice up the ice will build upuntil it touches the capillary causing the thermostat to open and shutthe compressor off. Also, typically, capillaries are sleeved in plasticto protect them from radiant cooling from the coil. Typically thecapillary and the sleeve in which it is contained are attached to thecoil by retainers which extend outwardly from the coil so as to spacethe capillary as discussed above. Such retainers can and have been knownto interfere with the installation of slide-in filters of the type alsodescribed above. Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 3A, the relationship ofthe thermostat capillary 214, the air filter 212, the indoor coil 20 andthe front edge 216 of the discharge deck 142 are shown.

As shown in FIG. 2 the capillary 214, encased in a plastic sleeve 220,extends from the left hand facing surface 218 of the control box 48 andextends to the left into confronting relationship with the inside coil20. The front edge of the right hand tube sheet 84 is provided with anotch 222 into which the plastic sleeve 220 is pushed as shown in FIG.3.

The front edge 216 of the deck is provided with a L-shaped downwardlyextending configuration 224 which defines a horizontal wall portion 226.Spaced to the right of the horizontal wall portion 226 is a vertically,downwardly extending wall section 228 which defines a space 230therebehind. The horizontal wall 226 and the left hand edge 232 of thevertical wall 228 define an opening 234 therebetween.

Accordingly, after the plastic sleeve 220 is inserted into the notch 222the upper end 236 of the sleeve 220 is snapped into the opening 234 witha portion of the upper end resting on horizontal wall 226 and a lowerportion of the upper end of the sleeve trapped in the space 230 behindthe wall 228.

As a result the capillary is readily supported by the structure moldedinto the front edge 216 of the deck, and, is supported in closeproximity to the heat exchanger 20. Referring to FIG. 3, when the filter212 is slid into place in front of the sleeve 220 it slides downwardsmoothly in front of the sleeve without interference. No furtherretainers are needed to positively retain the capillary and its sleeve220 in position.

CONDENSATE HANDLING SYSTEM

Conventional condensate handling systems in a room air conditionerinclude means for collecting condensate water draining from the insideheat exchanger and directing the collected condensate to the outsidesection of the air conditioner where a slinger, usually a "ring" typeslinger attached to the periphery of a vertically disposed outside fanwill distribute the condensate to the outdoor coil. The present airconditioning unit 10 differs from typical prior art systems in that theoutdoor fan 30 and fan motor 31 are oriented vertically and accordinglyan unconventional slinger design is required. Further, unlike most roomair conditioners as a result of the arrangement of the outdoor fan andthe outdoor fan inlet 34 the outdoor section 14 is pressurized by thefan.

Looking now at FIG. 7 the condensate pan 56 of the present airconditioning unit 10 is shown as it is mounted in the basepan 42. Thecondensate pan 56 comprises an elongated trough 36 which collectscondensate dripping from the inside heat exchanger 20. The trough 56makes a right angle turn and communicates through an extension of thepan 56 with a condensate opening 238 provided in the wall of thepartition 44. Condensate collecting in the trough passes through theopening 238 and through an appropriate condensate channelling recess 240formed in the basepan which communicates with a condensate well 242 alsomolded in the basepan, both of which are illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 illustrates a typical prior art indoor-outdoor transition,showing water passing from the trough 236 of the condensate pan 56through the opening 238 in the partition wall and into the condensaterecess 240 of the basepan. As illustrated in FIG. 8, while the flow ofcondensate water is readily facilitated by such an arrangement,pressurization of the outside section 14 of the unit can result in airand water carried by the air being blown from the outside section to theinside section to the extent that water over flows the condensate panand the basepan and leaks from the unit on the indoor side.

According to the present invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 9, acondensate outlet hood 244 is molded into the partition wall 44 on theoutside section of the unit. This hood 244, as is illustrated in FIG. 9extends downwardly into the condensate recess 240 formed in the basepanon the outside of the unit to thereby place the condensate water outletso that it is below the outdoor water level 245 formed in the basepan.As a result of the condensate outlet being below the normal water level,not only is leaking due to air flow from outside to inside stopped, but,it also acts as an air seal which prevents thermal losses due to airmigrating from the outside section to the inside section.

Looking now at FIGS. 41 through 43A the outside fan motor 31, inaddition to driving the outside fan 30, also directly drives through ashaft extension 246 a condensate slinger 248. This slinger 248 extendsinto the condensate drain collector well 242.

The slinger 248 is of the cone pump type and has the overall shape of atruncated cone. Slopping conical wall 250 has a upper end that definesan open top and extends from the open top to a lower end closed by abottom 252. A socket 254 is affixed to the center of the bottom 252 andrises along the longitudinal axis of the cone to provide means forattaching the slinger 248 to the shaft extension 246.

In the illustrated embodiment there are three holes 254 provided in thebottom 252 of the slinger. Each of these holes is provided with a flushlouver configuration 256 as best shown in FIG. 43A. Each of theselouvers comprises a slanted surface extending from the upper surface ofthe bottom 252 to the lower surface thereof where it defines a leadingedge 258. When the leading edge is immersed in condensate in thecondensate well 242 it facilitates pumping water into the interior ofthe slinger. It should be appreciated that the rotation of the fan motorand the slinger is such that the leading edge 258 moves in the directionillustrated in FIG. 43A to encourage the pick up of condensate.

The condensate collection well 242 is configured to have a flat bottomand slanted sides which conform somewhat to the shape of the slinger.Also when the slinger is operatively positioned in the well the bottomof the slinger is spaced very closely to the bottom of the well, apreferred spacing is approximately a 1/4 of an inch.

As a result of the described arrangement, when the slinger bottom 252 isimmersed in liquid, liquid flows into the interior of the slingerthrough the louvered holes 254. Rotation of the slinger accordinglyresults in a centrifugal force which causes the liquid passing into theinterior of the slinger to be drawn away from the axis of the slingerand up the interior of the slopping conical wall 250. When the liquidreaches the top of wall 250 it continues to flow upward and outward awayfrom the slinger 248 as indicated by the upper arrows 260 in FIG. 41.

At the same time, water picked up on the outside of the conical wall 250is also caused to be slung outward and is deflected off the slantedsides 262 of the recess 240 further resulting in spray being directedtoward the outdoor coil 28 as indicated by the lower arrows 264. Theresult is an extremely quiet slinger resulting in spray being thrownover the entire outside coil 28.

It should be appreciated that the water spray is carried by the outsideair passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 28 where, because of theelevated temperature of the heat exchanger, the water evaporates. Theresulting water vapor is then carried out of the air conditioning system10 with the existing air. The condensate formed in the inside heatexchanger 20 is thus disposed of without the need of drains or othermeans of condensate disposal. Disposing the water onto the outside heatexchanger 28 is extremely desirable in that it improves the overalloperating efficiency of the system 10 as the transfer of heat necessaryto vaporize the condensate serves to cool the hot refrigerant flowingthrough the outside heat exchanger 28.

COMPRESSOR MOUNTING STUD

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 the molded stud mounting arrangement ofthe present invention is shown at 266 as applied to a horizontal rotarycompressor 32 which is mounted to the basepan 42 of the outdoor section14 of the air conditioning unit 10. The compressor 32 includes aplurality of mounting devices not shown which mounts the compressordirectly to a mounting plate 268. The mounting plate in turn is attacheddirectly to the basepan 42 with the compressor mounting devices 266 inaccordance with the present invention.

A compressor mount 266 is shown in detail in FIGS. 39 and 40 wherein themounting is accomplished by assembly of the mounting plate 268 directlyto a compressor stud 270 which is molded from the same polymer materialas the basepan as a integral part of the basepan mold. As is evidentfrom the drawings figure the stud is molded with a design radius 272where it meets the basepan in order to impart the necessary strength tothe stud. A central opening 274 is molded directly into the stud whichfacilitates the simply mounting arrangement of the present invention.

Mounting of the compressor and mounting plate is then achieved by firstassembling elastomeric isolator grommets 276 to each of the threeopenings provided in the compressor mounting plate 268. The mountingplate 268 with the compressor mounted thereupon is then set in placewith the three integrally formed studs 270 passing through each of thegrommets 276. A simple "fender" washer is then placed over each of thegrommets with its central opening in alignment with the opening 274 inthe stud. A simple screw, such as a #8-B sheet metal screw 278 is thenthreaded directly into the opening 274 in the stud and tightened to apredetermined torque to avoid stripping of the threads formed within theopenings 274 as the screw is attached thereto.

As thus mounted the compressor is mounted through the mounting plate 268to the integrally formed studs in a manner which is extremely simple,inexpensive and easy to accomplish.

In a preferred embodiment the basepan 42 and the integrally molded studsare formed from a foamed glass-filled polycarbonate. The studs areformed with a radius of between 2.0 to 4.0 mm, a 3.0 mm radius beingpreferred. The through openings in the studs are 3.56 mm in diameter foruse with #8-B sheet metal screws. The specified torque for thiscombination is 12.5 inch-lbs.

INSIDE AIR DISCHARGE ASSEMBLY

As seen generally, and in a simplified manner in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 theinside air discharge assembly 26 comprises the discharge deck 142mounted at the top front of the unit and the air deflector assembly 146mounted in the rectangular opening 144 in the top of the deck.

The air deflector assembly 146 comprises a one piece elongated dischargelouver unit 280 best shown in FIGS. 45 and 46. The louver unit comprisesfive angularly disposed horizontal parallel spaced louvers 282. The topand bottom louvers 282 extend into end portions 284 of the louver unitto form a substantially continuous outer periphery of the louver unit.Each of the ends 284 is provided with a molded in mounting pin 286 eachof which is adapted to be receive in mating openings (not shown)provided in the left and right hand ends of the rectangular opening 144in the discharge deck 142. FIG. 146 shows across section of thedischarge louver unit mounted within the discharge deck. It is will benoted in FIG. 46 that the discharge deck 142 is inclined slightlyforward from the horizontal. Such inclination and the configuration ofthe downwardly extending portion 56 of the discharge deck 142 whichdefines the outlet path of the fan cooperate to encourage discharge ofair forwardly into the room being cooled. Further, the pivotally mounteddischarge louver unit 280 as shown in FIG. 46 may be pivoted forwardabout the pins 286 to further direct air discharge therethrough in aforward direction into the room being cooled.

With reference to FIG. 45 the individual louvers 282 are interconnectedat their rearward or trailing edges by a plurality of perpendicularconnecting ribs 288, which are circular in cross section as shown inFIGS. 48, 49, 51 and 52. Mounted to the connecting ribs 288 are two sets290 of ganged air deflector assemblies. With reference to FIG. 45 itwill be seen that a first set of deflectors 290 is mounted on the fourribs 288 on the right side of the louver unit 280 and a second set ismounted on the four ribs 288 on the left side of the louver unit 280.The units are identical and as will be seen, because they areindependently mounted, may each be used to direct discharge air to theleft or right or any position in between.

Each individual deflector 292 comprises a planar portion 294 andincludes a plurality of mounting tabs 296 integrally formed therewithand extruding from the front edge 298 thereof. Each of the mounting tabs296 comprises an arcuate portion 300 thereof which is adapted to engageone side of a connecting rib 288. In the preferred embodiment as shownin FIG. 50, the right and left hand tabs 296 have their arcuate portionsfacing upwardly while the interior mounting tabs 296 have their actuateportions facing downwardly. FIG. 51 illustrates a deflector 292 prior tobeing snap fit onto its corresponding rib 288. It should be appreciatedthat the mounting tabs 296 are sufficiently flexible to allow outwardflexing to facilitate engagement with the connecting ribs 288.

The deflector 292 shown in FIGS. 48, 49, 50, and 52 contains a fingertab 302 formed as an extension of one of the mounting tabs 296. Thefinger tab allows movement of the deflector and the other deflectorsganged together therewith as will be appreciated. Other deflectors inany ganged group do not require a finger tab as for example thedeflector shown in FIG. 51.

As best shown in FIGS. 46 and 50 the right hand edge 304 of each of thedeflectors 292 is provided with a slot 306. The slot includes a largedimension intermediate section 308 a reduced dimension 310 at theentrance thereof defined by an upstanding protrusion 310, and a verynarrow slit like portion 312 extending inwardly from the intermediatesection 308. The slot is adapted to receive in a snap fit fashion a"gang bar" 314 which ties the individual deflectors 292 together as willbe described. It should be appreciated that the slit like portion 312 ofthe slot facilitates opening of the slot to receive the gang bar throughthe narrow section 310 into the intermediate section 308 where it isretained for motion as will now be described.

The gang bar 314 is shown interconnecting four individual deflectors 292in FIG. 47. The bar 314 is circular in cross section except at each ofthe locations therealong 316 where it is configured to snap fit into theslots 306 in the deflectors 292 which it interconnects.

With reference to FIGS. 48, 49 and 50 it will be seen that each of theslot engaging locations 316 along the gang bar is provided with anarcuate shaped section 318 on one side and a slot engaging U-shapedrecess 320 on the other side. The recess 320 engages and longitudinallyretains the deflector 292 with respect to the bar 314. With reference toFIGS. 48 and 49 it will be appreciated how such engagement laterallyfixes the deflector 292 with respect to the bar 314 and yet allowspivotal movement of the deflector with respect to the bar. With each ofthe deflectors in a ganged deflector unit 290 installed as described,movement of the deflector 292 having a finger tab 302 will result inparallel ganged movement of each of the deflectors in the ganged groupwith the gang bar 314 moving laterally from left to right to achieve thedesired deflector position.

CONTROL BOX/POWER CORD STRAIN RELIEF/GROUNDING SYSTEM

As previously described the control box assembly 46 serves a number offunctions in the design of the present air conditioning unit 10.Included among those described already include, housing the indoor fanmotor 92, and, serving as an integral part of the support structure ofthe indoor fan 22 and the indoor grille 24.

Looking now at the control box in detail, FIG. 10 illustrates the box48, with its upper 50, and lower 52 covers disassembled therefrom. Inthat figure the indoor fan motor 92 and the compressor capacitor 322 arealso shown mounted therein in a manner which will be described. Alsoillustrated in FIG. 10 are the control shafts 150, 152 of the unitscontrol switch 154 and thermostat 156, respectively extending from thetop 102 of the control box. For further reference, the locator pin 140for the inside grille is also identified on the top 102 of the controlbox.

Looking now at FIG. 17 all of the electrical components housed withinthe control box 48 will be identified. It should be noted that theinternal wiring of the control box is not shown in this figurefacilitate illustration and description of the components. First, thepreviously described indoor fan motor 92 is supported by a first bushing94 on the back side of the motor as viewed in FIG. 17 which passesthrough and is supported by an opening 97 in the wall 96 of the controlbox as illustrated in FIGS. 19 through 21. The side of the motor 92shown in FIG. 17 includes the bushing 94 which is supported in anopening 326 provided in the lower cover 52 of the control box.

Located in the lower right hand corner is the indoor fan motor capacitor328. Also located in the control box is the outdoor fan motor capacitor332, the unit control switch 154, the thermostat 156 and the previouslymentioned compressor capacitor 322. Also contained within the controlbox is an L-shaped grounding plate 332 which serves as the centralgrounding terminal for all of the electrical components of the presentair conditioning unit 10.

It should be appreciated that the basepan 42 and all of the support andenclosing structure of the present air conditioning unit 10 is made fromplastic construction. Correctly grounding all electrical devices in amanner acceptable to Underwriters Laboratories® and other safetyrequirement however continues to be necessary however not as easy as aunit with a metal chassis.

With reference now to FIG. 4 the grounding plate 332 consists of ahorizontal leg 334 and vertical leg 336. The horizontal leg 334 has alocator tab 338 extending from the axial end thereof. The vertical legalso has formed integrally therewith a capacitor mounting tab 340, whichhas two stiffener ears 342, which is adapted to receive a lip 344 on thecompressor capacitor 322 as will be described. The grounding plate 332also includes a bent flange 346 which is provided with a sheet metalscrew hole 348 and a pair of quick connect tabs 350 and 352.

Assembly of all of the electrical components into the control box 48 ispreceded by installing the grounding plate 332 by inserting the locatortab 338 into a matching slot (not shown) in the control box 48. Withreference to FIG. 10 the locator tab 338 is shown extending through theslot to the outside of the control box. The end of the vertical leg 336of the grounding plate is snapped over a retaining rib 354 as shown inFIG. 17 to thereby mount the plate in the box.

The unit control switch 154 and the thermostat 156 are then mounted inthe box so that they are in tight electrical contact with the surface ofthe grounding plate 332. This is accomplished by four sheet metal screwspassing from the outside top 102 of the control box or, through theplate, and into the switch and thermostat as seen in FIG. 10. Tighteningof the screws pulls electrically conductive surfaces on the componentsinto conductive engagement with the plate 332.

The compressor capacitor 322 is then placed in the box so the lip 344 islocated between the vertical leg 336 and the capacitor mounting tab 340.A screw, as seen in FIGS. 17 and 44 pulls the tab 340 toward the leg 336thus squeezing the capacitor lip 344 tightly into electrical contactwith the grounding plate. The indoor motor 92 is then mounted in thecontrol box and a grounding wire 356 from the motor is attached to thequick connect tab 350 located on the grounding plate flange 346, asshown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

The power service cord 358 is then wired into the control box with oneof the power leads 360 connected to the switch 154 and the other to thecompressor capacitor 322. The service cord ground wire 364 is attachedto the hole 348 in the flange 346 of the grounding plate with a screw366. The screw connection 366 is required by Underwriters Laboratories®for grounding service cords.

Appropriate wiring (not shown) is then connected to the indoor fan motorcapacitor 328 and the capacitor is pushed into the control box between apair of positioning ribs 368 until a locking ear 370 snaps over thecapacitor locking it in place. Similarly, the outdoor fan motorcapacitor 330 is pushed into the box until a lock ear 372 snaps over itthere by locking it in place.

At this point the lower control box cover 52 is installed onto thecontrol box 48 by inserting a tab 374 formed in one end thereof into amatting slot 376 formed in the control box 48. The opening 326 in thelower cover is pushed over the indoor motor rear mounting bushing 94.The completion of installation of the lower cover 52 is carried out bysnapping a second lower cover mounting ear at the other end of the cover378 into a mating slot 380 provided in the box. With the lower coverthus installed the indoor motor 92 is positively retained in the controlbox.

Completion of the grounding wiring is achieved by attaching a groundwire 386 to the second tab 352 of the flange 346 and feeding the wirethrough the opening 382 in the back of the control box and then throughhole 384 provided in the partition 44. Also passing through the controlbox opening and the partition opening 384 are wires for the outdoor fanmotor and the compressor.

With reference to FIG. 44 the ground wire 386 having been passed throughthe partition hole 384 is attached to a ground tab 388 which has beenappropriately formed in the condenser coil tube sheet 390. Thisconnection serves to ground the compressor 32 and the indoor coil 20through the copper refrigerant piping.

The outdoor fan motor has a ground wire 392 that is also connected to agrounding tab 392 also formed in the condenser coil tube sheet 390.

In summary, the unit service cord 358 is grounded to the grounding plate332 through a screw connection 366 as required by UnderwritersLaboratories®. The switch 154, thermostat 156, and capacitor 322, aregrounded by being mounted by tight contact to the grounding plate 332.The capacitor mount serves to squeeze the capacitor lip 344 to groundand mounts the capacitor without the use of straps or clips. Thecompressor 32 is connected to the condenser coil 28 by the refrigeranttubing, and the coil is grounded to the grounding plate 332 by a wire386. The outdoor fan motor 31 is grounded through lead 392 to thecondenser coil.

As thus assembled, the control box may be pulled out of the unit forservice with all components remaining grounded, as is required byUnderwriters Laboratories®.

Following assembly of the control box 46 with all components in placeand wired, and with the lower cover 52 installed as described above theservice cord 358 is engaged with the strain relief structure 98 of thepresent invention which is molded directly into the lower cover 52. Asbest seen with reference to FIGS. 10 through 16 the cord 358 is placedinto an S-shaped cord receiving channel 394 formed in the lower cover.The channel runs from a narrow, entrance end thereof 396 where the flatpower cord 358 is initially fed in a vertical orientation and passesthrough an enlarged section 398 of the S-shaped channel where the cordis then rotated ninety degrees and placed flat in the channel. The cordthen passes through a path defined by a retainer ear 400, as best shownin FIGS. 14 and 15, which imparts a ninety degree bend in the cord 358.

As thus installed, when the power service cord 358 is subjected to theUnderwriters Laboratories® pull test there is sufficient resistancebetween the cord and the tortuous path defined by the S-shaped channel39 panel and the retainer ear 400 to pass the requirements of the ULtest.

Completion of the control box assembly 46 is achieved by installing theupper cover 50 onto the box 48 by inserting a first ear 402 into amating slot 404 in the control box and then rotating the coverdownwardly and snapping a second retaining tab 406 into a receivingstructure 408 in the control box 48.

Disassembly of the control box is readily accomplished by simply pryingthe snap on upper and lower covers from the control box retaining slots.

When the control box is fully assembled and the box is installed intothe unit 10 as described above it will be recalled that the dischargedeck 142 is fastened to the control box 48 by a retaining screw 180 thatextends through an ear 174 forming a part of the deck 142 and through ahole in the upper cover 50 of the control box and into an opening 410formed in the grounding plate 332. This arrangement satisfies theUnderwriters Laboratories® requirement that the control box 46 may notbe disassembled without the use of tools.

While the present invention has been disclosed with particular referenceto a preferred embodiment incorporated into a particular room airconditioning unit, the concepts of this invention are readily adaptableto other embodiments and applications, as those skilled in the art mayvary the structure thereof without departing from the essential spiritof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An air conditioning unit including a basepanwhich comprises:an indoor section in communication with the space to beconditioned including an indoor heat exchanger and means for circulatingair to be conditioned in heat exchange relation with the indoor heatexchanger; an outdoor section in communication with ambient air andincluding an outdoor heat exchanger and a compressor; a partitionmounted to said basepan for dividing the air conditioning unit toseparate said indoor section from said outdoor section, said partitionfurther defining a partition opening; at least two refrigerant carryinglines extending between said indoor section and said outdoor sectionthrough said partition opening; and an elongated length of sealingmaterial, said material circumferentially enclosing the portion of saidat least two refrigerant carrying lines adapted to extend through saidpartition opening, the circumference of said elongated length of sealingmaterial being greater than the circumference of said partition opening;and tape means surrounding one end of said elongated length of sealingmaterial for attaching said material to said refrigerant carrying lineson the side of said partition opening adjacent to the outside sectionand for creating a tapered transition having a circumference smallerthan that of said elongated length of sealing material.
 2. The apparatusas set forth in claim 1 wherein said elongated length of sealingmaterial comprises a closed foam rubber hose adapted to slide over anopen end of said refrigerant carrying line and wherein said tape meanspositions said foam rubber hose such that it will sealingly engage saidpartition opening.
 3. An assembly for use with an air conditioning unithaving a basepan upon which components are mounted and including apartition dividing the air conditioning unit into an indoor section andan outdoor section, said partition defining an opening therein throughwhich refrigerant lines may pass which comprises;a heat exchange coilhaving a pair of parallel refrigerant tubes extending therefrom whichare adapted to pass through said partition opening; a tube seal of anelongated tubular configuration circumferentially enclosing both of saidtubes and extending at least along the length of said tubes which willbe coextensive with said partition opening when the coil is installed insaid air conditioning unit; and tape means surrounding said tubularconfiguration at the end thereof adapted to pass through said partitionopening, said tape means attaching said tubular configuration to saidtubes and creating a tapered transition having a circumference smallerthan that of said tubular configuration.